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Acadiana food tour sells out faster than any in U.S.

This crawfish festival platter from Prejean’s could be one of the dishes a group of food enthusiasts from across the world taste during a weekend food tour happening in October. Roadfood.com’s Cajun Country Food Tour sold out in just three hours last week, faster than any of the previous food tours offered over the past decade.(Photo: Advertiser file photo)Buy Photo

An upcoming fall food tour of Cajun Country sold out in just three hours, faster than a decade's worth of other food tours offered in different parts of America by RoadFood.com.

It's not that surprising to the James Beard award-winning food writer who developed RoadFood.com in 2000 as a way to take readers to the best restaurants across America.

"The interest in these tours has been growing over the years," Michael Stern said. "But I do think that the allure of Cajun Country is what put it over the top."

The Cajun Country food tour was announced a week ago.

"Join us in the land of crawfish and cracklins, gumbo and gateau sirop, all to the beat of zydeco rhythm and blues," the event announcement read. "Cajun Louisiana is a world unto itself, an exotic rural paradise very different from the city of New Orleans and unlike any other dining destination in America."

The annual food tours — which range from Texas barbecue country to Chicago, land of pizza and hot dogs — typically take days or weeks to sell out.

"Probably the most distinctive, unique and, as far as we're concerned as outsiders, most exotic food is found in Cajun Country," Stern said. "Cajun food is as exotic as anything in America. And as interesting. And most important is that it's as delicious as anything in America."

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T-boy's Slaughterhouse and Meat Market in Mamou is a possible stop for an upcoming Cajun Country food tour. Roadfood.com’s Cajun Country Food Tour sold out in just three hours last week, faster than any of the previous food tours offered over the past decade.(Photo: Leslie Westbrook, Advertiser file photo)

The 11th annual food tour will take about two dozen people across Acadiana Oct. 17-18 to places that capture the cultural and culinary delights of the region. The itinerary is still being set, and Stern is open to suggestions from locals.

On his list are spots like T-Boy's Slaughterhouse in Mamou, Prejean's Restaurant in Lafayette and Brenda's Diner in New Iberia.

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T-boy's Slaughterhouse and Meat Market in Mamou is a possible stop on an upcoming food tour through Cajun Country. Roadfood.com’s Cajun Country Food Tour sold out in just three hours last week, faster than any of the previous food tours offered over the past decade.(Photo: Leslie Westbrook, Advertiser file photo)

Stern is working with the folks at the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission and with Bob Carriker, a man who wears many hats, to plan the tour.

A historian by weekday and a boudin reviewer by weekend, Carriker is integrating the food tour into his annual Boudin Cookoff in downtown Lafayette.

The food tour participants will serve as guest judges for a special Road Food award to be given to one of the cookoff participants during the Oct. 17 event.

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Food enthusiasts from across the world will serve as judges in the upcoming Boudin Cookoff event, happening Oct. 17 at Parc Sans Souci, as part of a food tour of the area. Roadfood.com’s Cajun Country Food Tour sold out in just three hours last week, faster than any of the previous food tours offered over the past decade.(Photo: Leslie Westbrook, Advertiser file photo)

"This will be interesting because it will be 40 or so people who are not from this area," Carriker said. "For many of them, this will be their first time eating boudin. They're untainted."

Can a beginner handle eating that much boudin in one sitting? Only time will tell.

If not, the foodies can redeem themselves as they sample other Cajun and Creole favorites and learn more about the culture that makes Acadiana such a delicious place.

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Roadfood.com’s Cajun Country Food Tour sold out in just three hours last week, faster than any of the previous food tours offered over the past decade. The tour will include some time at the Oct. 17 Boudin Cookoff at Parc Sans Souci.(Photo: Leslie Westbrook, The Advertiser)

"It's not just the taste of the food," Stern said. "It's how that food is really part of the greater cultural scene. Our goal at RoadFood.com is really to get a taste for the food, talk to the people, listen to the accents, hear the music."

Where would you take an outsider to experience Acadiana's most authentic cuisine? Let Stern know in the comments!